Daikin Middle East and Africa has unveiled a solar plant at its headquarters in Dubai, in line with its push to achieve Net Zero by 2050. The project was delivered through a solar lease with UAE-based sustainable energy provider Yellow Door Energy.
The plant has a capacity of 515 kilowatt-peak (kWp) and is expected to generate 826,000kw-hours of clean electricity in the first year of operation. Close to 1,000 solar panels have been installed on the roof of Daikin’s facility, meeting more than 80% of the energy consumption needs, the firm said.
“Congratulations to Daikin on this milestone towards Net Zero emissions. Yellow Door Energy is honored to support your Environmental Vision 2050 and we look forward to operating and maintaining the solar plant for many years to come. As a UAE-based solar developer, it is our humble privilege to contribute towards the UAE’s Clean Energy Strategy and Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative,” said Rory McCarthy, Chief Commercial Officer of Yellow Door Energy.
With the company’s aim to reduce environmental impact across all business activities and contribute to alleviating climate change, the headquarter in Dubai’s JAFZA features the latest product solutions promoted across the region, including a chiller, smart VRV, AHU, FCU, and BMS systems, the firm pointed out.
The entire HVAC system is highly efficient, ecologically friendly, energy-saving, and comes with comprehensive energy control capabilities. Daikin’s partnership with Yellow Door Energy is the next step towards achieving the company regional sustainability goals, the release said.
Masaaki Miyatake, Chairman and President of Daikin Middle East and Africa remarked, “As a global leader in sustainable HVAC-R solutions, we at Daikin embed sustainability in all our business practices. We believe that it is our responsibility to promote efficient systems to save energy and provide high IAQ levels through our several products offerings and solutions. The solar plant at our Dubai facility will help support us in our sustainability journey by reducing carbon emissions by over 300 tonnes annually, which is in line with Dubai’s Carbon Abatement Strategy 2030. Furthermore, with the solar lease from Yellow Door Energy, we aim to reduce our electricity costs and advance towards our target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.”
As the solar lease provider, Yellow Door Energy is responsible for financing, designing, building, commissioning, operating, and maintaining the solar plant during the lease term. By working with solar developers, businesses can reduce their energy costs without any upfront investment or operational risk, while maintaining focus on their core business and enjoying the benefits of clean energy, the statement said. In May 2021, Yellow Door Energy was awarded a solar contract for The Box Self Storage facility.
The HQ facility in JAFZA was launched in H2 of 2019 as part of plans to boost business in the MEA region, and in an interview with MECN in January 2020, the firm said energy efficient technologies will lead the GCC HVAC-R industry.